Today's Scripture Readings

Saints, Feasts, and Readings for 9/09/2012

Prayer Before Reading Holy Scripture

O Master Who loves mankind, illuminate our hearts with the pure light of Your divine knowledge and open the eyes of our mind to understand the teachings of Your Gospel. Instill in us also the fear of Your blessed commandments, that we may overcome all carnal desires, entering upon a spiritual life and understanding and acting in all things according to Your holy will. For You are the enlightenment of our souls and bodies, O Christ God, and to You we give glory together with Your eternal Father and Your all-holy, gracious and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.

Epistle Reading: 2 Corinthians 1:21-2:4

Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has
anointed us is God,

who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our
hearts as a deposit.

Moreover I call God as witness against my soul, that
to spare you I came no more to Corinth.

Not that we have dominion over your faith, but are
fellow workers for your joy; for by faith you stand.

But I determined this within myself, that I would not
come again to you in sorrow.

For if I make you sorrowful, then who is he who makes
me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me?

And I wrote this very thing to you, lest, when I came,
I should have sorrow over those from whom I ought to have joy, having
confidence in you all that my joy is the joy of you all.

For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote
to you, with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might
know the love which I have so abundantly for you.

Gospel Reading: Matthew 22:1-14

And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and
said:

"The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged
a marriage for his son,

"and sent out his servants to call those who were invited
to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.

"Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who
are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are
killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding." '

"But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his
own farm, another to his business.

"And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully,
and killed them.

"But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he
sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

"Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but
those who were invited were not worthy.

'Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find,
invite to the wedding.'

"So those servants went out into the highways and gathered
together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was
filled with guests.

"But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man
there who did not have on a wedding garment.

"So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here
without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless.

"Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and
foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth.'